Wakey Wakey

[DGFavor]

Totally non-birddog topic I know but I always enjoy getting out in the springtime to see the critters waking up and moving about. Darn animals were playing hard to spot and then weren't too cooperative with allowing crisp pictures taken of themselves. Mother Nature always calls the shots! I did manage a couple landscapes I like and thought some of the photo buffs here might like as well:









Wanted a crisp shot of this woodie bad but he wasn't about to sit still or stay in the same light for more than a few seconds:


My wife says my eyeballs get pretty bugged out when I get focused in on these guys:


http://www.vimeo.com/65486012

[Double Shot Banks]

Outstanding pictures, where are you located?
Isaac and Banks

[gotpointers]

I don't know where the pictures were taken but it looks a little like paradise, except for the bear!!

[kninebirddog]

You do take some outstanding Awesome PIctures

[Munster]

LMAO, If I had seen this posted, I wouldnt have posted my little training story.

Very cool pictures!!

[ACooper]

You're a lucky man Doc, excellent photos thank you for sharing.

[whatsnext]

I don't know where the pictures were taken but it looks a little like paradise, except for the bear!!

I believe that is a chessie not a bear

[Jagerdawg]

Truly awesome pictures. Thank you for sharing. Happy hunting.

[Gertie]

Absolutely fantastic. I love the country back there. Thanks for sharing.

[DonF]

Wonderful stuff! My hat is off to you.

[bb560m]

Great pics Doug!

[hill]

Great pictures! It has been a long time since I've been in country like that. I hope to see it again some day.

[ezzy333]

Doug, How close were you to the bear and what power lens were you using? I assume you were using a tripod.

Ezzy

[DGFavor]

Thanks all!! Those photos were all from Yellowstone NP - a great place to visit anytime really but we really enjoy the early spring when the bison are calving and the bears are coming out of their dens on the move. Spring I think is still a little late getting to the high country this year and we didn't see as much of the "fangs and claws" species as we usually do. But they were out,people were spotting them - like anything you just gotta be in the right place at the right time. We watched a bear den that was in a ridiculous location on what appeared to be a sheer cliff face for hours without seeing the sow come out only to be told, of course, she came out with her cubs right after we left. Zigged when we shoulda zagged!!

I rented a 300mm f/2.8 lens and added a 1.4x teleconverter to give me an effective 420mm f/4 if I was shooting a full frame camera but my camera has as APS-C sensor so my focal length was longer yet (can't remember the conversion off top of my head). It doesn't really matter what focal length you have...you always wish you had more!! For the bear shot I posted, I had to act quick so was actually using a monopod but I usually use a tripod and use my remote shutter release so I'm not touching the camera at all to trigger the shutter - really minimizes any vibration in the shot. The wood duck caught me out also with my 70-300mm on the camera, hand held, so I really didn't have a prayer to get a crisp shot at him as much as he was moving around...as I was trying to get a good shot at him a dang red-tail swooped at him, missed and landed on the bank right next to him - got me all flustered to know what to take pictures of, panicked and didn't get much of anything!! Gotta confess I was disappointed with the wildlife shots I got but that's the way it goes, try and try again!! My hat is off to the folks that really get those crisp wildlife shots on animals that are typically on the move, not interested in muggin' around getting their photos taken.

[ultracarry]

You do good work Mr. Favor.

[SCT]

300mm f2.8 is a sweet lens no matter who makes it. The one I want for my camera is $6,000 so I won't own one, but have considered renting one. I'm going to buy the 1.4x tele for my Olympus 50-200mm f2.8-f3.5 zoom which will make a 560mm f4.9 equivalent because it's 4/3rds sensor. I always hope for sunny days so I can hand hold it.

Nice pics as usual.

[dan v]

Hey Doug....I have a question. How bad does your life suck....that makes you do this to us?

[uplandnut]

Stunning pictures! I love that scenery

[kbshorthairs]

Awesome...........as always!

[deseeker]

Nice pictures I'd go outside and take some pictures and post them, but when you you've seen one cornfield, you've seen them all---they all look alike I wish my view in NE looked like that

[markj]

Those photos were all from Yellowstone NP

Thats what I was thinking when I saw em. Love that place. Winter snowmobiles are awesome too.

[QuillGordon]

Gotta confess I was disappointed with the wildlife shots I got but that's the way it goes, try and try again!!

"bleep" good show Doc. I hear ya with the disappointment, critters always on the move lookin for the next meal or avoiding being the next meal. You got it right though with "try, & try again" I believe eventually the odd's will play out in your favor. No pun intended...

[P&PGunsmith]

very nice.
gonna post some pics of the trial in Payette?

[DGFavor]

Gotta confess I was disappointed with the wildlife shots I got but that's the way it goes, try and try again!!

"bleep" good show Doc. I hear ya with the disappointment, critters always on the move lookin for the next meal or avoiding being the next meal. You got it right though with "try, & try again" I believe eventually the odd's will play out in your favor. No pun intended...

I always come up with something else I wish I would have tried to sharpen the critters up - probably had enough light I could have closed down aperture a bit, shoot it more like a landscape (f/8 and forget about it approach), given myself a little more depth of field - with a wide open f/2.8 at 300mm sharp, in focus depth of field is probably only a few feet which doesn't leave alot of room for error/movements/etc. shooting at something maybe a few hundred yards away. Anyway something to try and experiment with next time.

gonna post some pics of the trial in Payette?

I was going to ask which one but realized it didn't matter - I never took my camera with me to any of them!! There were some pretty cool finds at the Reg. 9 Amateur All Age that would have made for some sweet shots and wished I had my camera.

[Troy08er]

You do good work Mr. Favor.

+1 always enjoy his pics

[DGFavor]

Birddogs?? Never heard of 'em,sounds like a silly hobby...continuing the spring Nat. Park theme we haphazardly in our wanderings found ourselves in Zion yesterday and couldn't help but pull out the little LX3 I usually have on me to snap a couple photos. Impressive place.